Recipes

We make it in our shops in Dingle, Killarney and Dublin with Murphy’s Brown Bread ice cream, butterscotch sauce, salted caramel cream, and our own sticky toffee pudding.

The pudding is quite delicious – not too heavy and not too light – and pleasingly moist.

This is a recipe we have had in production for a long time – back in the days when we made cakes, we made some of this as well. No doubt it was adapted from another recipe, but I don’t remember the source, so apologies for that.

If you wish to try it, here’s the recipe:

Murphy’s Sticky Toffee Pudding

Ingredients

225g dates (pitted)

170g caster sugar

85g butter

2 eggs

170g flour (non-rising)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

40g plain yoghurt

What to do

Preheat oven to 170C

Soak dates in boiling water for 1 minute. Puree until smooth.

Beat sugar and butter together until light in colour.

Mix in eggs.

Mix in pureed dates.

Mix together dry ingredients and then add to mix.

Mix in yoghurt.

Bake for 30 minutes

Allow cool on a baking rack.

Cut into small squares (same size as brownie pieces.

Enjoy!

Good luck, and let me know if you have any feedback on the recipe if you make it.

Irish people love sweet things, and butterscotch is up there with most everybody’s favourites. It’s an easy flavour to make and a nice alternative to caramel. Don’t expect it to be around very long.

It’s a bit unclear whether the name derives from Scotland, where it probably originated, or whether it’s a derivative of “scotched” or “scorched” butter. Either way, butterscotch makes a nice topping for ice cream and brings a deep earthy flavour to ice cream.

I’ve found it makes little difference to flavour whether the butter and brown sugar is caramelised, so don’t worry about that part. We’ll simply be making a sweet, buttery ice cream!

Beat the sugar, salt and egg yolks together until thick and pale yellow.

Bring the milk and butter to a low simmer, stirring until butter is melted.

Beat the milk & butter into the eggs and sugar in a slow stream.

Pour the mixture back into the pan and place over low heat.

Stir continuously until the custard thickens slightly (around 65-70C) and just coats the back of a spoon. Don’t over-heat, though, because at around 76C you will scramble the eggs!

Immediately remove from the heat.

Refrigerate overnight.

Stir in the vanilla.

Whip the cream until it has doubled in volume (you should have soft peaks – don’t over-whip).

Fold the cream (gently stir) into the custard.

Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours to break up the ice crystals.

Yield: 8 servings

Note: To pasteurise the eggs, heat the custard to 73C and maintain that temperature for at least 5 minutes. Use a cooking thermometer, though, and keep stirring! If the custard goes any higher than 76C, the eggs will scramble. Immediately cover and place in the freezer until cool.

I’ve been tinkering with making our own version of Oreos for some time now, for our cookies ice cream, and I think I have a recipe I can share. They aren’t the same as the original, but what is? However, I find them utterly delicious.

If you’re in one of our shops, please taste the recently re-launched brioscaí ice cream and let me know what you think!

One of the great things about this recipe is that it uses 5 egg whites, so it’s a perfect solution of what to do with the whites if you’re making one of our ice cream recipes!

Finally, this is a big recipe, one that will fit perfectly in a Kitchen Aid. A smaller mixer might struggle. It will make more cookies than you need, unless you’re having a party, but the good news is that the dough can be frozen and last around 3 months, so I have suggested dividing the dough and filling in quarters so that you can always take it out and whip up a few when you’re in the mood!

Some months ago, I was contacted by Geoffrey, a customer in our Dublin shop, who asked would I be interested in making Christmas pudding ice cream, made from puddings he cooked up using a recipe from his grandmother, Bridget (photo above, also supplied by Geoffrey).

Needless to say, this was the kind of opportunity I love – it combined a good story with a customer and an Irish tradition. Geoffrey was kind enough to seek out a registered kitchen for his cooking so that we could be covered in terms of food safety, and soon I had some of the most tasty pudding in my hands.

He’s quickly gathering a reputation for excellence with his puddings, which he makes for friends and colleagues. Maybe this is the beginning of a great artisan business!

We made the ice cream using his pudding and a hint of Baileys in the base. I think it came out quite well, and it has been a hit with customers, especially in Dublin, where I’m afraid it’s already sold out. We do have some left in Dingle and Killarney, and we’ll try to get a few more containers to Dublin in time for Christmas, but I can’t promise it.

I thought I’d post a recipe here since you might not be able to taste ours, and because if your house is anything like mine, you have left over puddings and Christmas cakes. Rather than discard them, you can use the leftovers in ice cream, which will keep long enough in the freezer that you can return to them when you’re feeling less stuffed!

Anyway, big thanks to Geoffrey, who drove this project and made it happen. He already has plans for a gluten free version, so next year we might do both versions. I’ll have to remember to make some extra for Dublin!

What to do:
1. Combine the sugar and egg yolks and beat until thick and pale yellow.
2. Bring the milk to a low simmer.
3. Beat the milk into the egg/sugar mixture in a slow stream.
4. Pour the mixture back into the pan and place over low heat.
5. Stir continuously until the custard thickens slightly (around 65-70C) and just coats the back of a spoon. Don’t over-heat, though, because at around 76C you will scramble the eggs!
6. Immediately remove from the heat.7. Allow to cool.
8. Stir in the Baileys
9. Whip the cream until it has doubled in volume (you should have soft peaks – don’t over-whip).
10. Fold (gently stir) in the custard.
11. Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, adding the pudding when it’s fairly solid.
12. You can also just cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours, and again, add the pudding when it’s reasonably solid.

6 Servings

Notes: 1. Make sure you add the liqueur when the mixture is cool, or the alcohol will evaporate.

2. To pasteurise the eggs, heat the custard to 73C and keep at that temperature for three minutes. Use a cooking thermometer, though, and keep stirring! If the custard goes any higher than 76C, the eggs will scramble. Immediately cover and place in the freezer until cool.

These brownies are very tasty, and they are especially suited for using in ice cream – the olive oil is softer than butter when frozen, which makes them a perfect mix in.

However, there is no reason not to enjoy them on their own – they are dense, delicious, and surprisingly healthy, as far as brownies go. Don’t hold this against them, but they are gluten-free, dairy-free, and since I use cocoa instead of chocolate, the fat content is far lower than in regular brownies.

By the way, since most of my ice cream recipes call for 5 egg yolks, this recipe is a perfect use for the leftover egg whites!

One of the nicest food products I’ve come across this year is a Balsamic Cider Vinegar, made from apples by Llewellyn’s. It’s a product that everyone should have in their kitchen, because the apple flavour comes through nicely, and it’s beautiful on strawberries or in a salad.

We’ve had it in our shops over the summer, and since we’re reaching the end of our stocks now, I thought I’d post a recipe for anyone who hasn’t been able to taste it.

It’s not been the most popular ice cream we ever made, but I really love it, and I think it makes a great match for a caramel pudding or strawberries. The acidity of the vinegar cuts the sweetness, and it has a rich, mysterious flavour.

In a small saucepan, warm the balsamic and 2 tablespoons of the sugar until the sugar is dissolved.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Beat remaining sugar and egg yolks together until pale yellow.

Bring the milk to a low simmer.

Remove from the heat and beat the milk into the egg and sugar mixture in a slow stream.

Pour the mixture back into the pan and place over low heat.

Stir continuously until the custard thickens slightly (around 65-70C) and just coats the back of a spoon. Don’t over-heat, though, because at around 76C you will scramble the eggs!

Immediately remove from the heat.

Stir in the balsamic and sugar mixture.

Whip the cream until it has doubled in volume (you should have soft peaks – don’t over-whip).

Fold the cream (gently stir) into the custard.

Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours to break up the ice crystals.

If you’re using a domestic ice cream machine, transfer to a freezer-proof covered container when the ice cream has achieved a semi-solid consistency (around 15 minutes). Place it in the freezer, and continue to freeze until it is solid.

Yield: 8 servings.

Notes:

If you use a different vinegar, you might need slightly more or less, depending on the strength of the flavour.

To pasteurise the eggs, heat the custard to 73C and maintain that temperature for at least 5 minutes. Use a cooking thermometer, though, and keep stirring! If the custard goes any higher than 76C, the eggs will scramble. Immediately cover and place in the freezer until cool.

It seems to me that some Australians have an under-appreciated talent for using prepared foods as an ingredient in their cooking. I base this statement upon a few Australians I know, books such as this, and finally a great concept I came across on an Australian website – ice cream scones. The idea is to use simply ice cream and self-raising flour to make scones.

Could anything so simple to prepare actually taste good? The answer is yes. Absolutely.

The recipe below makes wonderfully light and fluffy scones, and it could be a starting point for any novice baker. I’ve only tested it with our ice cream, so I don’t know how much of a difference the brand (i.e. the quality or ingredients in the ice cream) would make.

One note – The flavour of the ice cream doesn’t come through as strongly as one might think (and I’ve tested it with chocolate, vanilla, honeycomb, etc.) That’s why I’ve added extra vanilla as an optional ingredient. However, the scones are delicious either way!

1. Preheat oven to 180C (200C if it’s not a convection oven).
2. Let the ice cream soften outside the freezer for about 10 minutes.
3. Put the ice cream and the flour in a bowl (add the optional vanilla, if you’re using it).
4. Stir with a wooden spoon until you have a dough that sticks together.
5. Sprinkle a generous amount flour on the counter top to stop the dough sticking. Sprinkle some more flour over the dough.
6. Roll the dough into a tube shape, 3 cm in diameter. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle on a little more flour, but don’t overwork it!
7. Cut the dough into 3 cm segments.
8. Place the segments on a baking sheet, leaving about 2 cm distance between the scones.
9. Bake for 20 minutes, until they turn golden brown.
10. Enjoy!

White chocolate and lavender was the second flavour we made for Bloom, and it was hugely popular. One reason I made this flavour, is that I have lavender flowers in my garden. If you’re not so lucky, you should be able to find edible flowers in a whole foods shop.

White chocolate makes ice cream especially smooth and silky, so this flavour is sure to impress! Just make sure you use the best white chocolate you can lay your hands on!

Cook the lavender flowers in the water over low heat until the water has reduced to 1/10th of the volume.

Remove from the heat and strain. Stir in the honey.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or a microwave to about 40C.

Beat sugar and egg yolks together until pale yellow.

Bring the milk to a low simmer.

Remove from the heat and beat the milk into the egg and sugar mixture in a slow stream.

Pour the mixture back into the pan and place over low heat.

Stir continuously until the custard thickens slightly (around 65-70C) and just coats the back of a spoon. Don’t over-heat, though, because at around 76C you will scramble the eggs!

Immediately remove from the heat.

The chocolate and the custard must both be warm when you mix them for a good emulsion. The chocolate will clump at first when you add the liquid, but keep adding liquid and stirring, and it will come smooth.Add the custard to the melted chocolate in small parts, mixing thoroughly until smooth and velvety. Allow to cool, then mix in the vanilla and the strained lavender water.

Whip the cream until it has doubled in volume (you should have soft peaks – don’t over-whip).

Fold the cream (gently stir) into the custard.

Freeze using a domestic ice cream machine, or cover and place in the freezer, stirring every few hours to break up the ice crystals.

If you’re using a domestic ice cream machine, transfer to a freezer-proof covered container when the ice cream has achieved a semi-solid consistency (around 15 minutes). Place it in the freezer, and continue to freeze until it is solid.

Yield: 8 servings.

Notes:

The boiler or container in which you melt the chocolate must be completely dry or the chocolate can clump.

Vanilla essences vary greatly, so make sure you taste the custard and are happy with the flavour!

To pasteurise the eggs, heat the custard to 73C and maintain that temperature for at least 5 minutes. Use a cooking thermometer, though, and keep stirring! If the custard goes any higher than 76C, the eggs will scramble. Immediately cover and place in the freezer until cool.

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